


Change Doesn't Happen in a Straight Line

by Ha_Haha_Hahahaha



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, M/M, Post-Canon, i didn't intend to ignore dr3 but it happened anyway, komaeda's an asshole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 13:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13952976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ha_Haha_Hahahaha/pseuds/Ha_Haha_Hahahaha
Summary: Komaeda had a habit of attracting everyone’s attention whenever he was in a crowd. At one point, it was because of something that happened because of him, or something that he actually did. Now, all he needed to do was make a dramatic entrance, and it’s as if he was the center of the universe and everyone else was just a speck of dust. Ironic, given Komaeda himself had spent so many years believing the opposite.





	Change Doesn't Happen in a Straight Line

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I've been in this fandom for almost four goddamn years, and have shipped Komahina for almost that amount of time, but I've never actually written any fanfiction- okay, I did write some drabbles, but I was 14, they sucked, and I didn't even publish them. 
> 
> Anyway, yeah the DR3 tag is not exaggerating. But hey, I did name the document I wrote on "self-indulgent Komahina bullshit" so at least I'm not being dishonest. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Komaeda’s eyes widened. Tentatively, he reached a hand up to his cheek, pressing the pads of his fingertips to his reddening skin. It hurt. Not in the way a punch would, but he could feel the lingering sensation of a stinging numbness across his face. 

 

“Oh _shit_.” Hinata’s hands froze up in front of him. His own frustration didn’t matter now. He just _slapped_ a guy, clear across the face. He thought for a moment that maybe an apologetic hand on the shoulder would help ease the blow, but he instantly rejected the idea. “Komaeda, I’m _so_ sorry, it’s just- God, uh, you can hit back, if you want?” 

 

Komaeda didn’t reply. He simply lowered his eyebrows, biting his bottom lip. Staring Hinata directly in the eyes, he slowly dragged his hand down his cheek, letting his fingers feel every slight imperfection of his skin before letting it drop down and crossing it over his other arm against his chest. 

 

“Ko...maeda?” His name almost came out like a chuckle. Laughing off the stress is preferable to something that feels like a heart attack, Hinata rationalized. He could sense the stares of his classmates on him, looking him over from all angles. He swore he even heard Owari make a remark of indifference before going back to her food. 

 

“You have really fantastic precision,” Komaeda said. He paused for a moment. “And accuracy.” He then turned a perfect 180 and walked away, hurried and tense. In another moment of impulsivity, Hinata scampered up to his side, a deep churning in his stomach at the thought of this going unresolved. 

 

“Wait a second! I get that you’re mad, but I can’t just let this be! Come on, we can talk this out more, just-” 

 

Komaeda stopped walking. Hinata startledly stumbled a few steps forward before regaining his balance. “I don’t want another slap,” he said, “But I have the immense urge to spit on you right now, so if you actually want this to get better, I recommend minding your own business for the time being.” 

 

“Gh!” Hinata made a sound of protest as Komaeda shouldered past him and stormed off to what he assumed was his cottage, but he didn’t make any further attempt to follow him. “Bastard,” he whispered under his breath once the other was out of earshot. 

 

However, once he looked up from the cloud in his mind, all he found was the dumbfounded faces of (most) of his friends. Mioda shuffled her feet on the ground, obviously trying to search for something witty to say, while Saionji just stuck out her tongue in the direction Komaeda left in. She whispered something to Koizumi, most likely not anything pleasant, but her friend didn’t object. 

 

“Guys, I’m so sorry,” Hinata said. He scratched his scalp awkwardly, fingers tangling in the spikes of his hair. “I’ll take care of it later, I promise, I just...don’t know what happened.” His gaze awkwardly shifted the floor. He began to instinctively scratch at this arm. 

 

Finally, Sonia stepped forward, breaking the silence among the crowd. She sported a serious expression on her face, though Hinata didn’t know whether he was about to be empathized with or condemned. “Hinata-san, is it okay if we talk for a little while? 

 

Hinata sighed. What did he have left to lose? “Sure. Why not?” 

 

 

Sonia had made the place of conversation at the library. The dead silence of the acoustics wasn’t very comfortable, but he wasn’t really expecting a light-hearted outing in the first place. The two sat on opposite sides of one of the tables. Hinata leaned back in his seat, while Sonia sat with a straight posture, fingers laced together on top of the wood. 

 

“Hinata-san, about your behavior earlier…” 

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Hinata waved a hand in front of his face. “It was bad. Really bad. I just lost control for a second. Like, we’re not even in the simulation anymore, but it’s almost as if Komaeda still has a knife on him. A metaphorical one, used to stab other people’s hearts and levels of patience.” 

 

“Well, I didn’t assume that Komaeda-san’s...acclamation to the real world was going to be a stroll in the aquarium, and you spend the most time with him out of all of us, so there was bound to be a breaking point eventually.” 

 

“Yeah, I wasn’t being super optimistic about it either, but still, if it’s my job to get him to improve, then hauling off and slapping him was probably the worst thing I could do.” He lurched forward, resting his elbows on the table. “God, it makes me feel sick to my stomach imagining what he’s thinking about. He probably already hates me for puppyguarding him all the time. I can’t imagine what he thinks of me now.” 

 

Sonia reached out to gently put her hand on his arm. A smile cracked at her lips, if only a reassuring one more than anything genuinely happy. Hinata would have flinched at how cold her hand was if her touch wasn’t so feather light. 

 

“I don’t think he hates you, Hinata-san. If anything, I’d say his reaction proves quite the contrary.” 

 

“What?” Hinata shook his head, pulling his arm out from under her hand. “Yeah, no, he said he wanted to spit on me. If he went through with it, he’d do it on my face, or my shoes- Whatever, I don’t know.” He took a moment to take a deep breath, drumming his fingertips on the table as the air exited his lungs. “Sorry, Sonia, but I don’t think that’s really up to interpretation right now.” 

 

“I was just thinking,” Sonia said, “in the simulation, Komaeda was never treated with very much care, was he?” 

 

“You say that like he’s some kind of feral animal.” Scenes flashed through Hinata’s mind of Komaeda lying on the wooden floor of the lodge with his arms and legs bound. Perhaps he was almost like a feral animal at some point, or at least considered as such. Maybe Tsumiki could give him a shot and it would all be over. No slaps, no guilt, no brain degeneration. 

 

“I was just going to refer to how he reacted throughout everything. Whenever he was insulted, he complied instantly. We left him tied up for days with no essentials, but there was still no ill-will to be seen across his face when he was released. Even after the _change_ occurred, when Owari-san tried to strangle him, he outright _encouraged_ her to go further with mockery. I had originally just blamed it on high pain tolerance, but in hindsight...there was an absolute sense of numbness about him.” 

 

“Yeah, and now there’s an absolute sense of pissed off about him. What’s your point?” 

 

“When you slapped him, he felt _pain._ The kind of pain the festers deep in your heart when a Knight of Cydonia rejects your offer to dance. I could see it all over his face!” 

 

“How are you so attentive when it comes to emotions?” 

 

Sonia ignored his question. “The aftermath was painfully slow, and especially dramatic! He was at a loss for words! If you hadn’t continued to grovel, he wouldn’t even have made the spitting comment. The Komaeda Nagito we usually know would instantly fight back- with his words, of course, or his laugh...yes, I can imagine the picture perfectly in my mind now! Komaeda-san would instantly laugh wheezily under his breath, and then proceed to tell you how pathetic you are, just like he did to Souda-san that one time!” 

 

“Okay, okay, I get it! I don’t need to imagine that, geez…” 

 

“My utmost apologies, but Hinata-san, you do see what I’m telling you, right? I needed you to understand this before you actually went to talk to him later- that there’s something _different_ about you, and you need to approach him with this in mind!” 

 

Hinata’s teeth grazed his bottom lip, lightly prodding at the flesh. He felt his heart begin to ache. “Different...in what way?”

 

Sonia tapped a finger to her chin. “Hmm, I don’t know exactly. Let’s just say that I sense...a closeness, perhaps?” 

 

Hinata was about to object, but the cramp in his chest was telling him otherwise. “Alright, Sonia. Thanks.” 

 

“No, thank you, Hinata-san! I am very grateful for being able to help with such disheartening matters.” 

 

Sonia stood up from her chair, and began to walk to the door. Hinata stayed seated. 

 

“Hey, Sonia…,” Hinata called after her, voice surprisingly loud for how exhausted every other limb of his body felt. 

 

Sonia turned around, her bright locks of hair swinging over her shoulder. “Yes?” 

 

“If you seem to understand Komaeda so much, then why don’t you ever go talk to him properly yourself?” 

 

Sonia’s gaze dropped to the floor, her face growing slightly red. “Hehe,” she giggled, “I just don’t think I’m very...fit for emotional involvement, especially with such individuals. Though, it’s more as if I just wasn’t equipped with any sort of training- Ah, you get what I mean, don’t you, Hinata-san?” 

 

Her explanation made no sense, but Hinata got what she _really_ meant by it, so he nodded anyway. 

 

 

_It wasn’t meant to be a bad day. It was supposed to be one of the better ones, in fact- everyone sitting outside in the open park together. It wasn’t some sort of party, but everything seemed like it was at an equilibrium for once, the taught string of hurt feelings and betrayal finally beginning to fray._

 

_And then Komaeda came along._

 

_Komaeda had a habit of attracting everyone’s attention whenever he was in a crowd. At one point, it was because of something that happened because of him, or something that he actually did. Now, all he needed to do was make a dramatic entrance, and it’s as if he was the center of the universe and everyone else was just a speck of dust. Ironic, given Komaeda himself had spent so many years believing the opposite._

 

_“Ah, man, I thought you said he was sleeping in way late because of all that morphine he’s been hooked up on,” Souda hissed in Hinata’s ear. Hinata himself clenched his fists, just hoping this wouldn’t end poorly._

 

_Komaeda simply stood in the middle of the pathway, almost taking over the presence of the statue behind him. He tapped his foot on the ground, watching over everyone as their chatterings slowly came to a halt._

 

_“Yo, jackass,” Kuzuryuu shouted, “Are you gonna say anything or just stand there like an asshole?”_

 

_“Maybe the latter,” Komaeda replied, smiling. “I just heard noise from my cottage, and wanted to see what was happening, and oh look, it’s some sort of get together. This hasn’t happened in awhile! Actually, if I’m not mistaken, the last time everyone was together like this, enjoying themselves in the same vicinity, was back in the simulation.” He turned to the Imposter, who sat beneath a tree, and grinned widely in his direction. Hinata could see the Imposter shiver. “It’s okay, I’m not offended I didn’t get invited this time.”_

 

_“Do you want to actually have a decent conversation, or do you just want to insult all of us right in our faces again?” Koizumi asked, rolling her eyes._

 

_“Well, I was just thinking I need to pick up my knife from under one of the picnic tables over here.”_

 

_“Okay, THAT’S IT!” Kuzuryuu stepped forward. Peko instantly reached for his shoulder, pulling him back. He clicked his tongue as he shrugged it off. “Is your entire goal in life just to ruin people’s fun all the damn time? Did you just wake up and go, ‘Hey, mutilating myself to kill everyone didn’t work, so now that I have a second chance at life, I’m just going to be a gigantic piece of shit!’?”_

 

_“My viewpoints are hardly anything special anymore. You go anywhere else on this planet, and I doubt you’ll be treated anymore nicely than having rocks flung in your face. I just find it hypocritical how the people who have been saying they need to make it up to the world for their wrongdoings still relish in the benefit of being tucked away in the middle of the ocean, with no one to speak of actually knowing where we are other than the Future Foundation.”_

 

_Hinata walked toward him, gesturing to everyone as if to say ‘It’s okay, I’ll handle it’. Hinata wasn’t entirely sure if he could handle it, however. “Komaeda, we went over this before. We can’t help the world as a unit until we’re able to actually stand next to each other without feeling absolute resentment toward each other.”_

 

_“Oh?” Komaeda’s eyebrow perked. “Ha, I guess that means I’m holding you all back then! You guys always said I was just confusing everyone in the simulation. And me, blissfully ignorant, felt so apologetic over it, so sorry that I was holding back the shining hopes of the Ultimates. But sadly, these times have changed, and I don’t intend to cooperate just because you want me to.”_

 

_“Yeah, I know, you’ve made that clear about a thousand times over already. But you can’t keep this up forever.”_

 

_“And why do you say that? If you can be so persistent in holding on to the wish of a girl who wasn’t even real, then who’s to say I can’t be a bit stubborn myself? My worldview has already taken a few large hits, and we both understand the feeling of dedicating ourselves to something all too well.”_

 

_Hinata flared up. “I don’t know. I just thought that because we’re similar, as you always say, maybe you wouldn’t like the prospect of dying alone a second time either.”_

 

_“I-I don’t care about dying! What have you thought I’ve been trying to do all this time? If I could sacrifice myself for a greater hope, I’d gladly do it, but unfortunately, that hope has been extinguished before the seeds have even been planted, so there’s no use in that. But hey, maybe a typical suicide might be sufficient if my frontotemporal lobes are essentially rot now anyway!”_

 

_“W-What the fuck! Komaeda, don’t make threats like that! I don’t want you dying!”_

 

_“Hmm,” Komaeda smirked, “Nice as always, Hinata-kun. I do appreciate that deeply. I’m fairly certain everyone does, because that’s the passion that allowed you defeat Enoshima and save all of their lives in the first place, but it’s also strange. I could sense it was part of your nature back in the simulation, but nowadays, it must be a terrible strain on you. After all, if I’m not mistaken, you committed suicide yourself in a sense when you stripped away your entire being down to a blank, emotionless wall-”_

 

_And then it happened._

 

 

Hinata waited for the sun to go down to actually find Komaeda. It would save him the embarrassment, anyway, given he could only think of a few other of his classmates that would still be out at night. Too anxious to knock on the door, he peered into the window of Komaeda’s cottage. No one in the bedroom, and he didn’t see the bathroom light on either. He had a brief image of Komaeda _actually_ doing something to himself, like maybe downing a bottle of his medication. The very thought of it caused Hinata’s heart to raise, a small bead of sweat forming on his hairline. 

 

“He wouldn’t,” Hinata said to himself, words coming out more like a breath than anything actually articulate. “He wouldn’t, he wouldn’t, he _wouldn’t_.” 

 

Of course, he had no way of knowing. No one really had any way of knowing what Komaeda would do. Not in the simulation, not at that very moment, probably not ever. 

 

Hinata thought of all the places Komaeda liked hanging around, or at the very least, the places he preferred to be around as opposed to noisier ones. He first went to the library. No sign of him there. Then, the park. Nada. He took a brief look into restaurant just to see if he wasn’t causing any trouble with any of the night owls. The only person there was Owari, still eating the last of her dinner, although it was probably her second serving. _God, did he jump into the ocean and swim away?_ Hinata thought, grumbling to himself. 

 

Hinata stumbled to the beach, breath becoming heavy with how quickly he was moving around. He didn’t remember working out since he was in a regular, run-of-the-mill high school, and he figured Kamukura wasn’t exactly fond of exercise. 

 

“There you are!” 

 

Komaeda stood there out on the open sand, hands buried in his pockets. His pale skin and hair glowed almost turquoise in the dim light. He hummed in surprise, turning his head to Hinata trotting toward him. His lips tugged into a flat line, instantly looking away. 

 

“How long have you been here?” Hinata asked, somewhat exasperated. He felt grains of sand crunch in his shoes. He made a mental note to wash them later. “I’ve been looking for you for like, half an hour.” 

 

“Really?” Komaeda asked, but it came out more like a statement than a question. 

 

“Yeah, really, I know...it’s just...god, I can’t express myself-” 

 

“You don’t have to rush.” 

 

“Oh, um, really?” Hinata’s eyebrow perked. That was odd, especially with how Komaeda’s gaze remained fixated on the sea. It was sort of dismissive, though eye contact would have been incredibly awkward. “Okay.” 

 

Silence washed over the two. A sort of pressure started to build up in Hinata where he was bursting to say something, but all the best words just jumbled together in his mind to the point of incoherency. He turned to the ocean, admiring the way the sun made its final dip below the horizon. He spotted a few seagulls flying in circles around each other. One would chase and peck the other, and then the other would chase it, as if they were playing tag. At least someone was having having fun on the planet. 

 

“I...I think I’m ready now,” Hinata said, still facing the sea. Komaeda didn’t respond- not verbally, that is, so Hinata took that as a cue to continue. “C-Can I ask you something…?” 

 

A beat passed. “Sure.” 

 

“Have you ever been slapped, hit, or something else like that before? I mean, before today. Before we knew each other, even.” 

 

Komaeda seemed to ponder that question for a moment, only to simply answer “yes” without any further elaboration. 

 

“I see. Heh, if I wasn’t already sorry enough, huh…” 

 

“Yours wasn’t that bad.” 

 

Hinata’s head whipped around. “What do you mean?” 

 

“It definitely wasn’t the most _physically_ painful mark I’ve ever received. I don’t think it will even bruise. Even the redness has mostly faded away.” 

 

“Gee, that makes me feel so much better about it.” 

 

“I was only trying to be honest.” 

 

Hinata was already lucky enough that Komaeda hadn’t given him the blatant silent treatment, so he couldn’t let this conversation run into circles, or, in a worst case scenario, boil into _another_ fight. He had to be smart about it. If only it was possible to logical dive into someone _else’s_ mind. 

 

“So, if that’s the case, then do you mind answering another question?” 

 

“Hmm, no, not particularly. What is it?” 

 

“You said that it didn’t hurt that much physically, but what about emotionally? How about that?” 

 

Komaeda’s head drooped down. Hinata heard some distorted mumbling with just a tiny hint of a voice crack. 

 

“What did you say?” 

 

“Yes, it did,” Komaeda sighed. “Is there anything else you’d like to know, Hinata-kun?”

 

“Well, uh, why do you think it hurt emotionally?” 

 

“I don’t know if I can answer that properly.” 

 

“How come?” 

 

“Sometimes it’s not really a matter of why or why not something hurts. Sometimes it just _does_.” 

 

“Well, think of it this way. What if Souda was the one who slapped you? How would you react then?” 

 

Komaeda snickered. “I think I’d laugh directly in his face.” 

 

“Exactly. You didn’t do that with me. Why’s that?” 

 

“I...I just never expected you to slap me, that’s all. After all, seeing how much you endured, it’s almost like you don’t have a breaking point.” 

 

“We _all_ have breaking points, Komaeda. Even you.” Thinking about it, he had already seen it, though it was a different kind of point and a much different kind of breaking. Hinata swayed back and forth where he stood, impatient. He was dissatisfied with the answer. “What if Tsumiki was the one to slap you?”

 

“Tsumiki-san? I don’t know. That’s hard to imagine.” 

 

“Would you feel the same way as you did with me? No, you probably wouldn’t. Come on, Komaeda, be casual with me. I won’t bite.” 

 

This time, Komaeda turned toward Hinata, eyes meeting his own. He seemed to have stopped with his neutral expression, eyes widening and lip twitching. “I just…” 

 

Hinata smiled lightly at him. “Don’t be like that. You almost always say what’s on your mind. Why should this time be any different?” 

 

Komaeda interlocked his hands together. He looked like he was about to reach for his hood to pull it over his head for a moment. “I was just...upset that you were mad at me.”

 

“That’s all?” 

 

“Sort of. I was a bit angry myself, hence the spitting threat...sorry, haha. I felt bad afterwards, but I didn’t want to bother you.”

 

Hinata nodded, contented with the reasoning. He’d think about it more deeply later. “I see. Apology accepted, but...you do realize why I was angry, right?” 

 

“What I said bothered you. It irritated everyone else too. So...the usual?” 

 

“Uh, what you said was a little _more_ than bothersome, Komaeda. You started ragging on everyone like you usually do, and when I stepped in, you started getting really personal. Nanami, killing yourself, the Kamukura project...you can’t just go spitting those around because you’re mad. I get why you’re so bitter, and I can’t pretend you’re not somewhat right, but it’s not right to just go around making things harder for everyone else. It’s...it’s selfish. Yeah, that.” 

 

Komaeda dug his foot into the ground below him and brought it back up, thousands of tiny grains cascading down his shoe like a miniature waterfall. “Then what would you recommend I do then? I’m not sure if I can forego my beliefs just because you said so, as I’ve said many times.” 

 

“Well,” Hinata huffed. He was really sick of hearing that, but he couldn’t just blow up _again_. “I can’t say that wouldn’t be hard, but as opposed to me just telling you what I think, why not try figuring it out our perspective yourself? Not even all of us- just me, if it helps at all. It wouldn’t be fair if I only had to understand you without anything in return. You’re going to be stuck with me for awhile, so you might as well try. Besides, I know now that you don’t like making me angry.” 

 

“Understand you in the same way you want to understand me...” Komaeda trailed off, words rolling off his tongue in a way that made it apparent he perfectly understood them while they still remained so foreign to him. “Ah, you really are too kind, Hinata-kun.” 

 

“Maybe I am, but you can be kind too. It’ll probably be better than just moping around.” He stuck his arm out, gesturing for a handshake. “Deal?” 

 

Komaeda looked down at his hand, contemplating the thought hesitantly. Of course Hinata didn’t notice his cheeks slightly dusting pink, and the little squirming noise he made. He could thank both the darkening sky and the noise of the waves crashing on the shore for that. He breathed out deeply, and reciprocated the gesture, smoothing his hand over Hinata’s and interlocking their thumbs. “Deal.” 

 

Hinata grinned, a small glint appearing on his front teeth. He wasn’t completely certain something like this wouldn’t happen again, but he trusted that Komaeda’s return of the handshake was genuine enough that there’d at least be an effort. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Sorry to disappoint anyone banking on more romantic implications, but I don't trust myself with that too much. Who needs genuine happy romance when you can be like Kodaka and cocktease everything? That's the sort of ambiguity that makes fans all riled up, anyway. Ha, I'm an asshole. 
> 
> Also, constructive criticism is welcome! So is just plain discussion. Really though, I want thoughts people! I'm still young so might as well take it. But I'm stupid for saying this because my ADD ass is horrible at responding, so worse comes to worst you can talk to me on my twitter @hellifiknow9 and my tumblr kosakawalterwhite. Yeah I know self-promotion idc.


End file.
